The weather is unusually cool, yet dry for april here. The result is that the plants are very slow to develop here. I do not have all that many things in bloom at the moment but there are a few things that are doing their best. My partner is still holding firm with the Forget-Me-Nots; that is to say, she isn't quite ready to pull them up just yet. Well, she IS talking about it though, and that is a change. That sea of the Forget-Me-Nots have finally attracted quite a few honey bees now I see. There were many days where I would literally see one or two all day long--now I can't count how many come to visit the flowers. I'm very happy about that. Lately we have been working hard in the veggie patches and so I have had to consciously take time out to stroll through the flower garden and look at what was blooming. Here are a few pics of what is blooming at the moment: The first foto is of about half of the flower garden. I am standing with my back to the east and shooting westward. I was standing at the edge of the old veggie plot when I took this foto. Aquilegias are everywhere and the mutated varieties are a real pleasure to behold for me. The tulips are just about bloomed-out. My Ceanothus "tree" is loaded with big clumps of the honey-smelling flowers. Soloman's Seals are making another good showing this year over by the water point. I started out with two plants six years ago. The Rhododendron bush was fotografed about a week apart. Here is the first foto: ...and here it is a couple of days ago: Sometimes I forget that bloomed-out flowers can also be quite attractive and unusual-looking. Here is a Pulsatilla:
Very lovely blooms Sjoerd. You do have a lot of color in your flower garden and most of it is blue...but I like the look. So what is it about the Forget-Me-Nots that you don't like?
I like the overview shot of the whole flower garden. The clematis is doing really well and is just the right foil for all those beautiful blue forget-me-nots. My columbines are just about ready to flower and all the azaleas are now blooming here so we're at about the same stage. Thanks for the lovely photographs. :-D
Ha ha ha..... Toni, I love Forget-Me-Nots just fine, in fact it was me that bought that first pak of seeds and sprinkled them onto a small plot 10 or so years ago. They sort of spread out from there. I do like them and find them really lovely how they have seeded-out--my only problem is that they are SO lovely that they can't be pulled-up and, therefore I have to wait to finish cleaning the various plots up. I am now more than two weeks behind with the flower garden. The veggie plots are done so all I can do is a bit of spot weeding for the moment. I purposly do not have many spring flowers planted in that lotty as I would if I had a garden outside at home. You see, when I go to the lotties at this time of year it is primarily to work with cleaning-up and getting things ready for the summer--not much time for looking and admiring. It's work, work, work...chuckle Hahaha...it's the same thing each year-- I admire the beauty, but at the same time I feel a bit uneasy that the work is piling up as I wait.
Great photos sjoerd....I noticed my bleeding hearts are really growing...The ones in the middle of the flower beds are bigger and blooming more than the ones next to the house...I am just hoping the frost that was called for , didn't happen..Sherry
Oh, Sjoerd, now I remember you mentioned that Forget-Me-Not problem I think spring before last. They do make for a beautiful flow of blue thru the garden. Having to wait is a bother but your garden always looks so wonderful none the less.
Adorable view of your lovely garden! Your Aquilegias are beautiful, and I can't believe that clematis of yours. You're ahead of us, no wonder.
Lovely photos of your garden Sjoerd. Your clematis looks the same variety as ours, Montana mayleen I think. We have self sewn aquilegias all over the place, all different colours, very pretty. The pulsatilla vulgaris is the county flower of Hertfordshire, where I live. I have one and have been dead heading it until I saw Carol Klein on the TV say that you shouldn't as it produces lovely seed heads just like yours. Needless to say I am leaving the heads on now
Very pretty start to your garden, Sjoerd. Aquiligeas are such a delicate flower. Have fun with spring cleanup.
Thank you for the very nice comments. Garengirl--I have to say that I like the Pulsetilla "afterbloom seedhead" just as lovely as the flower itself. It is in any event certainally very interesting lo look at. I only have five Pulsitilla plants, so I have to make a special effort to see them as they soon become overwhelmed by the Tsunami of Forget-Me-Nots. Carol K. has some good tips sometimes, doesn't she. You know G'girl--I'll bet if we got a foggy night and the fog clung to those hairy things on thet Pulsitilla it would make a cracking unique foto.
Your garden is lovely Sjoerd! I love the Forget-me-nots. Ours are just starting to bloom here and I totally understand what you mean. So many things have to wait until they are done their show. Your Tulips are nice too...I don't suppose you know their name? I love your Rhododendron too
Hiyah Netty--I do not recall the names of those tulips, but I think that I can find out. I will look tomorrow. I had bought three different but similar tulips...so a positive indentifcation will be difficult, Having said that at least you will have the names of the three sorts. The tulips that you see today look a bit different than they did some 4-5 years ago when I bought them. Actually I am thin king of lifting them this season and getting rid of them It's a pity that you fdon't live in Europe, you could have had them. Ach...never mind--I will look everywhere and try and find those names for you.
What a pretty place you have created. I like the spent blossom -- that is the pulsitilla? And the aquiligieas that you are all speaking of -- is that the flowering plant that is higher up -- looks like it is trained to grow at the top of a trunk (on the right side of the photo)? It's very very pretty.
